Desert Rain (edition 1996)

Even though I expected a romance in the 80s style, the plot and characters were just horrible. Linc's behavior towards Holly/Shannon is plain disgusting. Her reaction to him is extremely stupid and unrealistic. Which man wouldn't recognize a person anymore just because she wears make-up one day and not the next? He wants to marry her but admits not to love her? How does that make sense? ( )

Honestly, I can handle mediocre writing for the sake of a warm and fuzzy romance novel but this was awful. I absolutely can't stand Linc (the lead male character). How anyone could see past his absolute hatred of women to view this as a functional relationship is beyond me. ( )

Overwrought and dated; the depiction of the women is particularly old-school. Cat fights, showdowns over who can attract the most male attention, two wicked stepmothers, a wicked "other woman", a surprised-by-passion virgin who's (naturally) the most sought-after model in the world and (naturally) thinks she's frigid.... It's so larger-than-life, and the changes of characterization and setting so rapid, that there's little room to weave together a convincing plot.

The characterization is remarkably inconsistent. The female protagonist, Holly Shannon, is described as a remarkably perfect woman. Genuine, sincere, dedicated, loving, an expert hostess... the descriptions are a lot to live up to, and her behavior doesn't match up. She's cruel toward her rival, and she deliberately teaches a teenage girl how to exclude and humiliate another woman. But still wonderful, natch.

The male protagonist is equally inconsistent. The backstory shows Linc as a supremely caring person, but for much of the present-day story he's so hateful that he sounds unhinged. He's tender for a few days; then he rapes the heroine, calls her and his young stepsister prostitutes, and generally behaves like a lunatic until he's miraculously humbled by love.

This was Elizabeth Lowell's first romance novel. She has written far better books--both as Elizabeth Lowell and as Ann Maxwell. Give this one a miss. ( )