Susan Johnson (2) (1939–)

The first three stories---those by Bertrice Small, Susan Johnson, and Thea Devine---I could have lived without. Filled with purple prose, characters I found impossible to like or care about, melodrama, and a surfeit of ITALICS, they seemed more a waste of time than an enjoyable escape. So the three stars I've rated this book are entirely due to Robin Schone's story---a tender, honest, moving example of the genre.

Holy mother of God. This first chapter is how you write an opening to a book. Seriously wow, I actually felt breathless. Detailed, detailed, detailed writing, hot damn this is the amazing hard to find craft I have been missing in books lately!
Oh wow, Elizabeth afraid of Johnnie's reputation as a ladies man says "I don't want to be forgotten" and he responds with "I never forget". What a wickedly charming S.O.B.
Kudos to the author for making what would seem to be a very accurate account of show more two people who feel in love back in the day and were too passionate to say no.
Wanted more action. Book completely turned out to be something totally different from I what expected, the first chapter I thought there would be battles galore but it was more relationship than action. I think readers who like to just read mainly about two characters and want to forgo action or more surrounding plot would love this book.
There is great historical content in this book about the Act of Succession between Scotland and England, but it's a lot of talk which even caused my (I Love history) eyes to glaze over at times. More action less talky please.
I really felt like the book started to drag for me but when Johnnie abducts Elizabeth from her wedding I was excited because it felt like the story was going to pick up again. I was wrong. After Johnnie and Elizabeth are married all they seem to do is spend their days in bed. Elizabeth also turns into a clinging mess, which was a tad disappointing since she was previously portrayed as strong woman; the author tries to play it off giving the excuse of Elizabeth's pregnancy but I was still annoyed.
This book was really well written it just wasn't my cup of juice (I don't like tea). I need more story and my characters to be involved in other things other than in each other and the bedroom. The footnotes were strange for me. Some of them interested my historical self and others were plain silly to have, I can't imagine the average person liking them and in fact I bet most people ignored them. This story was at times boring for me but I can see how others might like it. If you just want to read about two characters who are highly sexual and almost never leave the bedroom then the writing is good enough for you to give this one a go. This book was also at times a "blusher" just saying some scenes might be a bit uncomfortable to read in company.

C: for story/A: for writing style quality show less

I love a good sex-positive independent professional leading lady in my modern romance, so that was great. I also love solid friendships with ride or die women friends and strong family ties. This was a 3 point read for this most part but it lost a point for 2 reasons: 1) The crazy-ex-girlfriend was ludicrous, from her citrus hued suits (in Minneapolis! Ha! We favor outdoor gear here in the great white north--formal means no fleece) to the fatal attraction maneuvering with respect to a man show more she has barely dated; and 2) the super rapey "love scene" where Chloe tells Rocco she doesn't want to have sex with him and he ignores her, overpowers her, and eventually she comes around and realizes she was dying to have sex all along. I found this profoundly disturbing. Its too bad, because there was some good stuff here. show less

Pros: Steamy romance, and the power struggle between hero and heroine is so much fun to watch.

Cons: The ending feels rather rushed, almost as if it comes out of nowhere.

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

Determined to avoid marrying her detestable cousin Countess Isolde Perceval arranges to be caught in bed with a man, thereby making her unmarrigeable. Her plans are thrown awry, though, when Baron Osmond Lennox walks into the wrong room for his assignation. Instantly attracted to the show more beautiful countess, Lennox offers her an easy way out of the whole situation: a marriage of convenience. When her cousin backs down, the two of them will amiably divorce. But neither Lennox nor Isolde had counted on the scorching heat between the two of them, or the clashes of will that stoked that heat even higher. But have they stumbled across something worth keeping? Or will their mutual stubbornness tear them apart?

Wow. What a steamy book. When I picked it up, I was expecting a fairly typical historical, but Ms. Johnson has created an interesting blend of romance and erotica based on passion and personality clashes. Despite the fact that some of the language used and character attitudes felt out of period, the book is unashamed of the fusion and I actually found myself enjoying it way more than I expected to. (I should point out that the language can be a lot more blunt than most historical romances, but it does keep the book from straying into purple-prose territory!)

As much fun as it is to watch Isolde and Lennox butt heads, there were a few times where I wanted to shake some sense into one or both of them. Lennox has a tendency to simply issue orders, expecting them to be followed. The one thing that kept me from getting completely fed up with that tendency was hearing his explanations of why those edicts were handed down. And yet, despite the apparent sense behind some of those decisions, Isolde still puts up a fight even though the end result of her getting her way with Lennox might be detrimental to her overall goals. Her behavior wasn't bad enough to fall into the "too stupid to live" category, but she certainly toed the line at times.

The power struggles between the two were actually fairly sexy; they would crop up in some unusual and funny places. (The modiste's reactions to one of their tiffs had me chuckling unashamedly!) Ms. Johnson does an excellent job of showing the fine line between power and passion, and how easy it is to step over it without realizing. Even though it took the characters a long time to discover their feelings for each other, that didn't feel out of place for me because of how blurry the lines between lust and love become in situations like their arranged marriage.

The one thing that did feel incomplete to me was Lennox's realization that he is in love with Isolde; the moment of realization happens off-camera and so it felt very sudden for me. Not knowing how or why his perspective had changed made his declarations of love feel rushed and somewhat shallow. Had I been able to see what he was thinking and feeling, or what the impetus was for his change in perspective, his admissions of love would have felt a whole lot more genuine. As it was, I was left with the feeling that while they did get their happily-ever-after, it would still be a rocky road for them as their relationship continued. Given the nature of their courtship, it's not a surprising feeling, but at the same time I felt like future problems could still be serious.

With that being said, however, this is possibly the steamiest historical that I've read in months. Isolde and Lennox's attraction nearly sets the pages on fire and pulls you right into the maelstrom of their courtship. Although some of the conflicts get a little irritating, they do serve to tighten and tangle the cords that bind the two together. There's just something fascinating about watching two people so fiercely independent come to terms with their deep desire for each other. If you enjoy sexy contest-of-wills romance novels, you've simply got to check this one out! show less