If you hate it, read another Charlotte Lamb. I’ve reviewed it before, so I won’t go into details. It was so chock-full of insanity and fantastic writing I couldn’t get enough. Lamb’s Harlequin Presents Seduction has been seared into my memory as one of the earliest romances I read.
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Lamb’s heroines ran the gamut from sheltered teenaged virgins, competent working women struggling to make it in their fields, and sophisticated, mature ladies who’d been around the block once or twice. Her heroes could be fiercely chauvinistic and cruel with deep-seated psychological issues others kind, understanding guys who still were emotionally intense. She wrote like few others in her field could: fully inhabiting her characters’ minds and giving them larger-than-life personalities. Although she created seemingly simple category romances, her books were much more than that. Sheila Holland née Coates, known to most readers of romance as Harlequin/ Mills & Boon author Charlotte Lamb is one of my favorite writers, period. Read more “Category Romance Review: Tabitha in Moonlight by Betty Neels” Tabitha lives in a little flat near work. She’s no beauty, as Neels describes her, but with her lovely figure, wide smile, and fabulous hair that she keeps primly knotted up, the reader knows Tabitha is actually a swan in hiding. When first we meet Tabitha, she is presiding over her ward, checking on patients in a pleasant, personal manner, going as far as taking care of one old gentleman’s cat.
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van Beek plays the prince’s role, but fortunately, this Prince is far more astute than his fairy tale predecessor, not requiring a glass slipper to identify his true lady love. Betty Neels wields the typical doctor-nurse romance into a Cinderella story, with Tabitha starring as the poor, down-trodden stepdaughter who gets no love from her wicked step-mother and step-sister.ĭr. She falls for the new temporary surgeon, the Dutch-born, Dr. Tabitha in Moonlight is a Harlequin Romance about an efficient, capable nurse (aren’t they always in these books?) in an elderly men’s ward. Read more “Category Romance Review: Hilltop Tryst by Betty Neels”Ĭategory Romance Review: Tabitha in Moonlight by Betty Neels Latimer is there to save the day.Įnter our other man, a more debonair and seemingly sophisticated vet. He’s kind to her, spends time with her family, and in typical Betty Neels fashion, doesn’t make a move! When Beatrice’s father has a heart attack, they’re fortunate that Dr. There’s a bit of trouble with another dog and Oliver arranges to bring the pup to Beatrice’s father for a check-up.Įverything lines up making it seem as if Oliver’s interested in Beatrice. Oliver Latimer, a heart surgeon, along the way. One morning, Beatrice is taking a walk with her dog, and she meets the hero, Dr.
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It’s a very clean, closed-door Harlequin Romance, so no trysting here! The title Hilltop Tryst makes it sound steamier than this book really is. She’s the daughter of a local successful veterinarian and works with Dad. Hilltop Tryst is a sweet romance by the famous Betty Neels featuring–as always–a fair-haired doctor as a hero, although this time he’s British, not Dutch. Second to None, Rita Clay Estrada, Harlequin, 1989, Ron Lesser cover art The Folly Of Loving, Catherine George, Harlequin, 1986, Len Goldberg cover art Reluctant Relative, Jessica Steele, Harlequin, 1983, W ill Davie s cover art Moon Lady, Jane Donnelly, Harlequin, 1984, Frank Kalan cover art Eventually, photography and digital imaging would be implemented, but that was mostly later in the 1990s.įor the week of Monday, November 22, 2021, to Sunday, Novem(boy, did November fly by, or what?), let’s look upon these passionate category romance covers from Harlequin. In the early days, covers were just painted, mostly with acrylic, but some illustrators used watercolor, like Will Davies. Fortunately, there were artists talented enough to make their paintings stand out. However, sometimes they seemed as if they all looked alike. This made for a unified consistency in the covers.
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Over the years, Harlequin romance covers utilized a stable of in-house artists. It’s time to appreciate category romance covers again! For this edition of Covers of the Week, we’re focusing on Harlequin publishing in the 1980s.