| Title | : | Tender Is the Storm (Avon Historical Romance) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0380896931 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780380896936 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1985 |
Tender Is the Storm (Avon Historical Romance) Reviews
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On this episode of ‘What’s Going On With That Cover?’
The heroine seems to have collapsed at a mere glimpse of this hero’s nudity. Luckily he caught her mid-swoon and didn’t fall backwards into the bush that’s behind him for some reason…. -
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I know Johanna Lindsey is a lot of people's favorite romance author, but her work has always been kind of hit or miss with me. TENDER IS THE STORM was a book that I bought purely for the cover because I was lucky enough to find an uncensored version of the Robert McGinnis clinch cover for twenty-five cents at a thrift store (it often sells for $50).
I buddy-read this book with my friend, Larissa, from Goodreads. It's a Western mail order bride romance, so buckle up and brace in for spoilers, because I have THOUGHTS.
***WARNING: SPOILERS TO COME***
Sharisse and Stephanie are two society princesses living with their overprotective father in New York. Sharisse is supposed to marry Joel, the rich son from another family, but Stephanie, the younger sister, is in love with him. She thinks he's in love with her too but he's not man enough to stand up to their fathers and is more than willing to go ahead with the marriage (which says a LOT imo).
Stephanie decides that if she can't have Joel, she's going to run away and sends out a response to be a mail order bride. But her friend suggests that maybe she can persuade Sharisse to leave instead. And Sharisse agrees because Stephanie is a manipulative little sociopath who not only sends her sister packing but ALSO steals all of her sister's jewels just to ensure that she won't have the money to come back (royally fucking her over in the process, because Western life is bare bones when it comes to amenities).
Exhausted Sharisse comes to the Arizona territories and finds out her husband to be is actually hot. He's also tall and-- Freudianly-- reminds her of her father. Weird, but ok. I actually liked the hero, Lucas, a lot because he is so unhinged but he's also cheerful about it too. So many bodice-ripper heroes are brooding, which I like, so it was fun to find an alpha hero who took such great joy in being a psycho. And don't be fooled by his "nice" persona, this dude is DEVIOUS.
We think he's part of a twin pairing-- Lucas and Slade. Lucas is the nice twin and Slade is the rapey one who's always trying to force himself on Sharisse. BUT IT TURNS OUT THEY'RE BOTH THE SAME PERSON. Lucas is actually dead and Slade has been pretending to be both of them, and he thought that if Sharisse thought that if she were in danger from his Slade persona, she would cozy up to the Lucas one for protection. WHAT A PSYCHOPATH HAHAHA. You gotta admire the hustle.
There's some OW drama and Lucslade wants revenge on the guy who murdered people to get his father's gold mine, but most of the book is just Sharisse and Lucas and Slade fighting. I did like the fact that Slade took the trouble to beat up the French guy who was Sharisse's first love until he took advantage of her, and the shenanigans he did to "win" her back when she ran away were funny. Probably would have rated this higher if Stephanie had been punished for being a bitch and the ending didn't feel so incomplete but honestly, I had a good time reading this crazysauce-drenched nonsense.
Maybe I am a JL girlie after all, idk.
3 stars -
So... Johanna Lindsey's Tender Is the Storm.
If you’re familiar with your romance history, then you must know of this book, even if you haven’t read it. The cover is the infamous one designed by Robert McGinnis with the naked hero standing tall as the heroine kneels before him, her ample breasts pressed firmly against his–er…dongle.
Tender is the Storm was released in 1985 as Lindsey’s 10th consecutive bestseller. McGinnis’ artwork and Lindsey’s novels made for a powerhouse combination. Their first two covers were pleasing enough, but starting with 1980's Fires of Winter, McGinnis would upend the romance industry altogether. Before that, most clinch covers would show the heroine’s heaving bosoms while the hero remained fully clothed. Fires of Winter portrayed a fully naked hero, his legs bent and splayed open with the heroine lying between his thighs.
McGinnis was an admirer of the sensual female form. Much of his work featured nude or scantily clad women–of all skin and hair colors–with tightly muscled yet voluptuous figures. As a pulp, detective, and movie poster artist, he had many opportunities to display his talents for painting females. The romance revolution of the 1970s would now allow him to demonstrate his ability to create beautiful male figures.
I’ve said before that I am not fond of modern covers with dehumanizing headless torsos, waxed naked chests, and rippling 8-pack-abs. Even so, male eye candy is a sweet sight to behold! So thank you, Robert McGinnis, for being an equal opportunity exploiter of undressed males and females.
I owned a first edition copy of Tender is the Storm when I initially read it 25 years ago. Alas, it was lost in the Great Book Purge, which I’ve spoken of many times before. Now, I’m stuck with a later edition with the hero’s ass [CENSORED].
The cover was so controversial at the time that booksellers from “coast to coast” refused to stock Tender is the Storm on their shelves. Avon had to rush out golden star stickers printed with “#1 EVERYWHERE” to place upon the hero’s buttocks. A second printing followed, this one with a circular starburst emblazoned upon the area of controversy, with the words “A COAST TO COAST BESTSELLER” on it.
But have you seen the book? Did anyone really believe that no one would figure out what was going on beneath that “subtle” distraction?
The dude is titty banging her, and she loves every minute!😀😁😂🤣😍
So… Johanna Lindsey’s Tender is the Storm.
Yuppers. It was a romance novel.
Perhaps if I’d read this from a “new-to-me” author, I would have enjoyed it more. Sadly, for Lindsey’s standards, this was mostly a meh read for me. She’s written much better books. (And some worse.)
It’s the late 1800s in New York City. In a convaluted setup, the Eastern heiress Sharisse Hammond finds herself fleeing from an arranged engagement to a high-society scion. Sharisse wants nothing to do with the union. When she discovers her sister is in love with the man, the two of them hatch a plan.
They find a newspaper ad a rancher placed looking for a wife. Sharisse responds to it, deciding her best option is to move out West and be a mail-order bride (to a man she knows nothing about). Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fryer!
Her groom turns out to be Lucas Holt. He’s a white man who’s familiar with the ways of the Native American people. He’s also a handsome devil, and Sharisse is very attracted to him. The trouble is, she’s also attracted to Lucas’ identical twin brother, Slade. Slade shows up whenever Lucas isn’t around to torment and flirt with her.
Over time, Sharisse becomes accustomed to the arduous labors of being a Western bride. And in due course, she and Lucas draw closer. She becomes his wife in the complete sense of the word. Nevertheless, Sharisse remains strongly attracted to his bothersome twin.
Whatever will she do?
I usually appreciate a plot where the heroine is torn between twin brothers (My, that sounds absolutely naughty, doesn’t it?😋). I just wasn’t wowed here. Maybe it was the ugly font that soured me.
This isn’t a terrible romance, not really. I judged Tender is the Storm on a curve with the other Lindseys I’ve read and found it lacking in places. The chemistry between Sharisse & Slade and Sharisse & Lucas was hot. The plot was thin, even for a barely 300+ page book with giant font. The ending was predictable. But please don’t let my opinion stop you from reading this one. Your mileage may vary.
2.75 stars -
This was a good one. A solid 4 stars!
A tropey, outlandish plotline with some ott happenings spread across a year and two continents before a sweet hea. -
Note to self: avoid this book cause heroine had an affair with a married man.
-
This one was a lot of fun. (Look at that awesome cover! heh heh meeeow)
Running from an arranged marriage into the arms of man who mail ordered a wife- (no worries, she really wasn’t going to honor said agreement)- Sharisse Hammond can’t believe the predicament she’s gotten herself into… and how much the rugged land and the man who is taming it, stirs her blood. So she sticks around for awhile despite plans otherwise.
Lucas has plans of his own and it all centers on destroying the man who killed his father for the Holt gold mine. But something about the striking red head makes him want to make her his. When she resists for reasons she hasn’t shared, his gun slinging twin brother Slade gives her the final push.
But things aren’t what they seem on the Holt ranch and one too many lies from the Holt brothers sends her running back home.
Putting his complicated feelings for his woman aside, Lucas has to finish what he begun – then he will be free to claim her properly. If she is willing to have him in return by then….
There are several similarities to my absolute fav by JL
A Heart So Wild- white man gun slinging hero who grew up with Native Americans and became blood brother to tribe, revenge plot against baddie who killed Hero’s family, rich heiress who falls in love with the bad boy gun slinger, hero keeping secrets from heroine and vice versa- it’s all so ridiculous- but I flat out love JL’s western romances. -
Full review at
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
So I started reading this because someone who shall remain nameless but who’s name rhymes with D-Ellie posted the original cover art, which involves titty-fucking basically and I had to read it. What better way to get back into the Old School Groove than to read me some crazysauce Lindsey?
Spoiler: there’s no actual titty-fucking in this book.
Well, I’ll say this. It’s a ridiculous plot of one dude pretending to be twins (AND NO ONE NOTICES) (THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL STUPID) and ridiculous is good! Ridiculous is fun! And for Lindsey, this is SOOOOOO not rapey (everything else of hers I’ve read is pretty rapey. Everything). (I said “for Lindsey”- Slade does let Sherisse think he’s considering rape, and that it’s only his generosity? that prevents him from doing so. Sherisse doesn’t know that, and we don’t know that except that he’s not the hero listed on the cover copy). So it’s got that going for it.
But as these things go, this is just badly written. Things are told, not shown, and everyone is terrible. Slacus is an ASSHOLE. Sherisse (what is with that name) is an idiot. Stephanie is the worst little sister since Stephanie Tanner. She stole her sister’s jewelry so Sherisse wouldn’t chicken out! She got herself into this mess because she just couldn’t manage to cope with her sister marrying the guy she thought she was in love with (but possibly never talked to? Ever? It’s unclear) and why learn coping skills when you can just make yourself a mail order bride?
I mean seriously.
- Redheadedgirl -
Esta historia se desarrolla en la época en la que existían los pistoleros y los buscadores de oro, Sharisse es una heredera Neoyorquina a punto de casarse con un novio impuesto por el padre y al que no ama, se entera que la hermana está enamorada del que será su esposo y a la vez está le comunica que en su desesperación aceptó casarse con un desconocido, el cual solicitó esposa por correo, es así que por ayudarla, toma su lugar y huye al oeste con la intención, no de casarse si no de ganar tiempo para que el padre desista, allí la espera Lucas Holt, un ranchero muy atractivo que la trata con dulzura y rudeza a la vez, una chica acostumbrada a los lujos y a las atenciones, se ve de pronto en un lugar agreste, teniendo que vivir en un humilde rancho donde no hay comodidades y debe aprender a cocinar y todas las tareas del hogar. Por otra parte Lucas Holt tampoco tienen intención de casarse solo viene planeando una venganza contra el que ordenó matar a su padre y para lograrlo necesita una esposa, o sea en el afán de usarse mutuamente ambos esconden sus verdades para lograr sus propósitos, pero los planes nunca salen como los esperan, ya que no contaban con la enorme atracción y pasión que ambos sentirían.
Me ha gustado, tiene momentos divertidos y unos giros que no te los veías venir, eso si el final para mi gusto fue muy apresurado, hacía falta un epílogo. #RetoRita4 #RitaFabio -
I love how some of Lindsey's novels have heroes in all their glorious nakedness, with the very superlative art by Robert McGinnis. MUCH LOVE.
-
abi redditten geldim, şu kapağın güzelliğine bakar mısınız sfasdfasdfas
nys berbat bir konusu var ki zaten seksenlerden romance okumam, rabbim sakınsın.
bunun Gentle Rogue'un kapağı da şahane ay yerim.
off baka baka historicalım geldi... -
3.5? 4? 4.5 Stars? I don't know how to rate this book!
It feels like ages since I read my first Johanna Lindsey historical romance and I couldn't resist this freebie from my public library. It was different than any HR I've read. I'm normally not interested in Westerns but I'm glad I gave this one a try.
The story started a bit slow for me or maybe I was just distracted, I don't know. I thought Sharisse' sister was horribly selfish. I still don't understand how Sharisse put herself in such a risky (and perhaps, unrealistic) situation to help her spoiled brat of a sister. However, the second half of the book picked up significantly and I enjoyed it very much. There were some plot twists that I figured out way before they were revealed but nevertheless, the story kept me intrigued. I loved the whole twin brothers trickery! It was very Jekyll and Hyde. Lucas was roguishly charming and Slade was a real mean hombre: "He’s a gunfighter. He’s blunt and kind of raw. He’s not civilized." I'm not sure which brother was my favorite; I'll just take both!
I wanted to give the book 5 Stars just based on the second part of the book and I probably would have if not for the abrupt ending. Right before the end, Sharisse revealed something HUGE to the hero (I'm purposely leaving out his name) and it was brushed aside because they couldn't wait to jump into bed together...and the story just ended there. No epilogue, no glimpse into the future, at all. What about the big reveal?! The reader wasn't even privy to this part of the plot. I was happy the MCs got their HEA but I was left needing more. -
"... your mistake was in not killing me when you had the chance.”
Feral’s eyes widened in sudden understanding, but understanding came too late. He smelled death, his own.
Dun-dun-DUNNNNHH!!
He. Smelled. His. Own. Death.
Good lord. This was completely idiotic. I'm not one of those readers who revels in the crazysauce. The only reason I'm reading this is to fulfill "bestseller the year you graduated high school" challenge category in the 2018 Popsugar challenge. I was quite sorry I picked this book, but it wasn't awful enough to dnf, so I kept going.
It's books like this that made me think I didn't like romance, back in the 80s, when I was a teen. This is just chock full of casual racism and casual sexism and where is that brain bleach I ordered to recover from this??!!??
The entire plot is threaded through with vaguely sexist nonsense like this:“I don’t know why I’m even discussing this with you,” she said defensively. “There will be no marriage rights before the marriage.”
“Will you force me to fetch the preacher then just to ease my pain?”
Her belly tightened. “What pain?”
He frowned. “Don’t play with me, Sharisse. You can’t have been married and not know any more about men than that. You feel this.” He pressed her hips firmly to his, and she gasped. “You think that doesn’t hurt if I can’t do anything about it?”
“I… I…” Her face flamed red, and she tried with all her might to push away from him. “I’m sorry, I—”
“All right.” He cut her off sharply and let her go. Then he cursed himself, seeing the fear in her eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Sharisse. I know I’m rushing you, and I apologize. But you’re so damn desirable.”
“You… you’re not going for the preacher, are you?” she asked hesitantly.
Is that what had frightened her? “How the hell should I know?” His voice rose again. “Damn, you frustrate me, woman!”
He turned on his heel and left the house. Sharisse ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.
What was she going to do? She couldn’t go through that again. What on earth was she going to do?
If you're wondering about the casual racism, it's basically a lot of this:Sharisse managed a smile for the Indian girl. “Yes, I’m fine, really. I was just remembering something… distasteful. So you are Billy Wolf’s wife?”
The girl nodded. She was quite exotic looking, with almond-shaped eyes in an oval face, straight black hair that fell just below her shoulders, and smooth, dark skin. She wore a faded blue skirt that just reached her bare feet and a loose long-sleeved blue shirt. Sharisse had not expected her to be quite so lovely or gentle looking, not with that heathen for a husband.
She. Was. Quite. Exotic. Looking.
Okay.
On top of that, the romance isn't even very romantic. Sharisse doesn't even like Luke! Sure, her lady-parts go all a-flutter when he kisses her, but she doesn't seem to enjoy any of it, it's more akin to a dog in heat who doesn't particularly want to be mounted but goes through with it anyway.She surprised herself by having fun learning things, and she began to wish Lucas would just stay away. She wasn’t looking forward to a return of the tension his presence caused.
I don't blame Sharisse for feeling tepid about the guy. There's nothing appealing about him. Here in this scene he approaches her like she's a piece of tasty fried chicken, and it's been far too long since he had himself some KFC. He gets all rapey and that's okay because she starts moaning for it anyway.His hand slipped behind her neck, exerting a gentle pressure that drew her forward. “No,” she whispered. “No. Please.” She could hardly breathe.
His mouth closed over hers, hot and demanding. Fear shivered down her backbone. A knee parted her legs and pressed against her groin, and she couldn’t stop him. An ardent shock followed that reverberated through her system, and she moaned despite herself.
I was excited that there was a character named Nadine, but she only had one (completely unimportant) scene.
And, speaking of only one scene, what in the world was the point of the cougar in the prologue???
And, finally, the most unforgivable sin: this book implies (and at times overtly states) that women do not know their own minds and desires.Did she love the fellow perhaps without knowing it? Was she only hurt by his rejection?
I have A LOT of other issues with this book but I'll just leave it at that. I'm sure the author thought she was being very clever, but that was just inane.
Good lord, 80's, why were you so awful and how did I manage to grow up??!!
The funny (?) thing is, my other choice for "1985 bestseller" was
Robots and Empire, but I'd really been put off by the sexism in
The Robots of Dawn when I read it earlier this year, and I didn't want to struggle through that again, so I chose this, which turned out to be equally vile in very different ways. -
2.5
Es el segundo libro que leo de esta autora, y todavía sigo sin poder determinar si me gusta o no. Me da la sensación de que tiene buenas ideas y buenos personajes, pero la narración no me acaba de convencer. Salta muy rápidamente de un punto de vista a otro diferente, y eso me crea confusiones a la hora de seguir la trama. Eso sí, debo decir que este libro me ha gustado más que Hasta la eternidad, el cual puntué con una estrella y media.
En las últimas páginas hay un plot twist que NO ME ESPERABA PARA NADA, y eso que Johanna va dejando pistas durante el desarrollo de la historia...pero yo no me he dado cuenta. Me ha sorprendido, y eso hace que se lleve la media estrella extra. También por Lucas, aunque es un poquito (bastante) carca y retrógrado... pero bueno, eran otros tiempos.
De esta autora estaba pensando en leer también Ángel de plata, pero si alguien que esté leyendo esta reseña conoce algún otro título autoconclusivo suyo que sea más recomendable, por favor, estaría encantada de que me lo dijera ^^ -
Guess it was time for that winning streak to come to an end.
This was so much bullshit. The whole twin thing... how ridiculous, twisted, self serving and manipulative. It’s insane that it’s just accepted in the end and brushed off. Ridiculous. Did I say that already? -
2'5.
Es una historia rara, la verdad, y no estoy segura de que me haya convencido del todo. Me ha gustado pero hay cosas que no han encajado bien conmigo... A ver si me aclaro mientras escribo la reseña. -
*Reread/Re rate/Review*
I originally gave this book 3 stars.. and in all fairness I think in comparison to some of Johanna Lindsey's other books as far as the story itself goes it may be around a 3 star read. In comparison to every book I've ever read on the other hand I feel like this definitely deserves at least 4 stars. I love the whole mail order bride thing this has going on. Women setting out on super great adventures and learning a whole new lifestyle.. gets me pumped. I will say that yes as this story progresses it seems there are so many holes in the plot.. never fear however Johanna Lindsey never knew the meaning of "loose ends" so just have faith in the master. Since I've read this book so many times I can't count.. I assume that the 2nd read and so forth was actually better for me. I can't honestly remember, but knowing the ends to all the holes makes a difference for sure.
While I do love the story line, Lucas Holt was a little too much as a hero starting out. This does eventually get explained and while he's almost nothing in comparison to Slade Holt, it still seemed so overwhelming for the FMC, Sharrisse. He just came on way to strong right out of the gate for someone of Sharrisse's personality and instead of me, as the reader, finding him super romantic, I found him just as irritating as the FMC lol. Sharrisse, in an effort to thwart her father's plans to marry her to the man her sister loves, heads out West to Arizona territory to become a mail order bride. Of course she has no intention of actually getting married, she just needs a place to lay low so her annoying/scheming/liar of a sister can make her move. Yea you can tell that I don't like her sister very much. I wish I could say her sister really learns her lesson but I don't think that actually happens. Sharrisse of course is surprised to find Lucas Holt waiting for her on the other end of her journey. Lucas, despite having put out an add for a wife, also has no intention of getting married. He just needs a fiancee for a few in order to keep his life time plans of revenge on the rails. Sharrisse of course makes up her mind, as soon as she sees her new "home" that she needs Lucas to send her right back. Lucas while of course wanting her to want to go back home, doesn't expect her to want to leave immediately and must make her wish to stay, at least for a little while....
Still love this book after all the years though I don't feel like this story is as "fleshed" out as some of Johanna's other stories. It is still a super entertaining read. -
RECOMENDADÍSIMO 100% Este libro me ha sorprendido muchísimo, es el primer libro que leo sobre el Oeste y estoy segura que no será el último. Me ha encantado la historia de amor entre los protagonistas porque Sharisse no es la típica joven ingenua, ella es inteligente, perspicaz y muy atrevida. Lucas Holt es...irresistible jajaja no encontraréis al típico protagonista dominante, es tierno a pesar de esa coraza que se ha creado.
Yo califico los libros que mas me gustan en función del sentimiento final que me deja una vez que lo he leído. Este libro me ha dejado una resaca mental increíble, desde que lo leí no he podido pensar en el libro. Así que eso significa que ha dejado huella en mi.
Lee reseña completa:
http://librosenfamilia.blogspot.com.e... -
I haven't read this book in forever. I finally got it on Kindle, but I used to have this paperback
Tender Is the Storm (I'm sure it is tucked away in a box in the basement somewhere) and now that I'm looking at it some of those covers back then were even more risque than today's covers. I think this book is still awesome! It was well written and I like it more than Johanna Lindsey's newer books. I loved sweet Lucas and dangerous Slade. Sharisse of course wasn't planning on being a mail-order bride, but had to head west at the urging of her sister (who I thought was really a selfish little shit) because her sister was in love with the man that Sharisse was supposed to wed though their father wouldn't hear of letting her sister marry him. Then Sharisse's sister proceeds to leave Sharisse stranded without money so she is basically at the mercy of her 'intended' husband Lucas Holt (see...I told you her sister is a shit). Of course everything ends well at the end (please, it's not like you're surprise this has an HEA!), though the only regret is that the sister didn't get run over by a stagecoach. -
Una novela que me enganchó y que me hizo querer leer cada página, sin embargo, no tiene un alto nivel de complejidad y es bastante breve, aunque se desarrolla sin problemas. El juego que hay entre los dos protagonistas gemelos y la nueva vida de Sharise, la protagonista, inspiran mucha curiosidad y hacen que aumenten las ganas de seguir leyendo.
Todo lo que le sucede a la protagonista es de lo más inusual y está motivado por cuestiones muy curiosas, pero merece la pena, no rompe el pacto con el lector. Vi venir el final, pero admito que no estaba segura y que la autora logró mantenerme en la incertidumbre por dos cuestiones, no obstante, creo que se debería haber trabajado más el trasfondo que lleva a actuar en principio a Sharise y que su hermana debería tener más motivos, me pareció egoísta y creo que por su construcción cae antipática y no sé si esa era la intención de la autora, al menos en un principio.
El final sí me pareció un poco flojo, me hubiera gustado saber más y que la historia fuese más compleja para disfurtarla más, pero es una buena historia del género, entretenida y lo especial es ese punto ambiguo en el que se mueve por los protagonistas, que nos hace dudar y querer leer para averiguar lo que sucede realmente. -
i have whiplash oh my god???
i will be honest and read this purely for the cover as it is one of my fave book covers ever but the plot? simply what?
the ending will confuse you and you give whiplash and will make you question every single thing but at least i had fun! -
3.5 - 3.75 stars. I just read ‘Paradise Wild’ earlier this month so I was in the mood for another book by Johanna Lindsey! She really does know how to tell a great story and has written some of my favorites. This book was rather good, but I have to say I liked Paradise Wild a little more. Had I not read some of the reviews on GR for this book I might not have seen the spoiler and I might have enjoyed it even more. All that aside Tender is the Storm is another good book from JL. Despite the fact I paid for a copy of the OG cover type (mine the H has a brown speedo like undie on) I don’t think I’d read it again. I did enjoy the main characters and plot that goes from Arizona to New York. Ending was good although I would’ve liked to have seen more interaction between these two and so forth before the final 30 and especially the last 2 pages.
-
I have to admit, I did chose this book to read because of its original cover, cause years ago on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books they talked about this ridiculous cover and what they seem to be doing on the cover :). But this is a book that should not be judged by it's cover! The story is actually quite entertaining and thrilling.
It's a time when America was still mostly East Coast and West was for prospectors, ranchers and gunslingers. Close to a little Newcombe town lives Lucas Holt, keeping a horse farm and he needs a wife, so he would seem less threatening, less like his twin brother Slade, who is know as a fastest and deadliest gun, so he could finish the complicated scheme he started years ago.
In New York Sharisse is about to get married with a family friends son. She does not love him, but she doesn't really care, since she swear never to love anybody again after a disastrous affair in Europe with a married French man. But when she learns that her sister Stephanie loves the man she's about to marry, she is ready to call of the wedding. Their father will not hear of it, since the wedding is just a week away. What to do?
Well ... Stephanie has been a busy girl, since the engagement was announced. She has answered to a mail-order-bride advertisement and an rancher from Newcomb, Arizona, has sent her the train tickets to go to him and to be his wife. So if their father will not let Sharisse out of this marriage, she will go away, as far as possible and will come back after her sister is wed to her love. She does not have to marry this Lucas Holt, she will just go stay there and make her best to make herself not suited for this man and he will send her back himself. Or she could just use the tickets to leave.
But Stephanie has to make sure, that Sharisse will stay away. So Sharisse discovers she has almost no money, just her tickets and what little money she has she as to spend on a food, so she has no other choice than to go to Newcombe and to meet this Lucas Holt. But once she sees him ...
Lucas was expecting a small blond girl, but he was hoping for the tall read haired girl from the picture he was sent by his wife to be. So when the red haired steps out from the carriage, he's happy and same time he is not happy, since this pull he feels to this girl could mess with his plans.
Sharisse tells to Luke, that she is a widow, and she need time to get to know him before they could be married, and that's fine with Lucas, since he has no need to marry her at all, he just needs a fiance to show. But since Sharisse is a "widow", there is no reason why they could not enjoy each others company ... or so Lucas thinks. But this widow is jumpy as hell and would not let Luke near her. Things change, when Lucas' brother Slade comes around and scares Sharisse into Lucas' arms.
They both have told a lot of lies to each other and neither of them wants to get a spouse, but when Lucas neighbor and target brings a priest over, they have no other choice but to get married. No honeymoon follow this ceremony, but bitter words and quick split - Sharisse returns to New York after her sister sends her a letter with explanations and Lucas storms of to Europe.
A year later, when Lucas thinks their marriage is annulled and Sharisse hopes never to see him again, Slade comes to New York.
This is as little and as much I will tell about this story, without giving too much away, but I will say, that this story is surprisingly realistic and hilariously absurd. I did read some spoilers from
SBTB review, so maybe that made me see this story differently, but I think that knowing the main twist actually made the story better for me.
So, this book had once long ago an ridiculous cover, that gives you all kind of crazy ideas what people could be doing in Wild West, but the story inside this cover is actually really good. -
TENDER IS THE STORM by Johanna Lindsey was originally published by Avon Books in June 1985; my copy is a 1997 paperback edition (hence not the original front cover). This is a historical romance novel that largely takes place in Arizona in the 1880s, with scenes in New York at the beginning and end of the book. What caught my interest from the first page was Lindsey's depiction of the Old West and the frontier loner Slade Holt who travels in both the Indian and white man's world. Slade has a twin brother named Lucas who seeks a mail-order bride as part of his plan to seek revenge on Sam Newcomb, a powerful man after whom the town is named, who murdered his father for his gold. Stephanie, our heroine Sharisse's sister, answered the ad and then convinces Sharisse to go to Arizona instead in order to avoid being forced to marry a man named Joel whom Stephanie loves and Sharisse does not. Their father Marcus is a stubborn man who insists on the marriage, so Sharisse escaping New York temporarily to Arizona seems like a good way of avoiding this outcome. Conveniently, Stephanie answered the ad using only the initial of her first name, and sent Lucas a photo that had both sisters in it, so this convinces Sharisse that the plan will work. (It's a little too convenient and makes it look like Stephanie is eager to get rid of her sister.)
Much of the novel revolves around Sharisse's life on Lucas' ranch, which involves more hard work than she is used to doing back home, since there are no servants here. Sharisse learns to grow as a person because of her experiences on the ranch. However she is alternately attracted and put off by Lucas' sexual interest in her, and even more repulsed by the sexual advances of his twin brother Slade who occasionally visits the ranch when Lucas is not around, in order to have his way with her. I found Slade's attitude so appalling that I felt that Sharisse would have been justified in shooting him dead the next time he came near, and was disturbed by Lucas' lack of concern about his brother's behavior. Because of Sharisse's hostility towards Slade, his brother Lucas seems more attractive to her in comparison and the two eventually become lovers.
In the end, all works out for the best, with a couple big surprises in the last two chapters. The novel was highly enjoyable and satisfying, although the twists and turns of the plot felt as much contrived as clever. Although a historical, there's only about as much historical detail on display as might be found in an episode of Gunsmoke. This was nearly a 5-star book for me, but I'm only giving it 4.5 stars because the plot seemed a bit too contrived and the unpleasant neanderthal attitudes exhibited by Slade and Lucas towards Sharisse which are hard to forgive and forget. -
Before I begin my review, let's talk about this cover, and how it is seriously the best cover of all time. Seriously. I loved this cover YEARS before I even read the book. So let's break it down (and if you're not looking at the mass market paperback, go back and look at it NOW):
First of all, the positioning of the characters is GREAT. It cracks me up that her boobs are being smashed in his crotch - if very definitely lets you know what the book is about (and also a great discussion starter for when your kid brings this book to you and says, "Mom, what are these two people doing?"). Second, the looks on their faces are priceless. I mean, the passion between the two just oozes off the book. Third, I love that he's completely naked and standing in... is that sagebrush? Um... obviously the the illustrator has never seen sagebrush close up, because it's not something you really want to stand naked in (or maybe you do. You might be kinky like that). I give this cover 6 out of 5 stars.
And now, on to the book: this is the first book by Johanna Lindsey I've ever read, and I was pleasantly surprised. I could definitely tell that it was written in the 1980s (e.g., the names didn't seem to belong in the time era), but it wasn't enough distraction to the book. Sharisse actually reminded me a lot of Nicole Kidman's character in Far and Away: both were redheads, inept at doing basic household chores, and prone to saying things like, "Oh, I could just scream!" Thankfully, Lucas didn't remind me of Tom Cruise at all. I very much liked the characters, and I really liked the ending. After the surprise at the end, I went back and reread several parts of the book. This is one I'll definitely keep around and read several times. -
Sharisse Hammond, an american heiress, is engaged to a man that she doesn't love, and feels trapped with no way out, not realizing at first that it is her younger sister that is in love with her fiancee. Once Sharisse learns of this, she learns that her sister has been corresponding with a man in Arizona who is looking for a wife as a mail order bride. So Sharisse decides to let her sister persuade her to go all the way to Arizona to marry a man she doesn't know, but would rather go out west, than marry someone that her father planned for her. However she never expected how hard life could be out west with a man, never realizing, that really never had any intention of marrying her. But Sharisse learns an aching passion in Lucas's arms, that she never expected to find, and wonders that when the truth comes about who she really is, will she lose him or find such a exquisite love.Tender Is The Storm is a single book, not part of any series, written by well known author Johanna Lindsey. It takes place in the American West. This is a story about a young woman who was unhappy in her father's plans for her, so she decided to make her own decisions regarding her happiness. And a story of a man, who has lost much, and on a quest of revenge, needs a woman, for a wife, but never plans to keep her as such. But throughout this story, we see a enticing adventure, charming characters and a tender love story that bonds two people from different worlds. I found this to be such a romance that was filled with such romance and adventure that I found I couldn't put it down. A romantic treasure to be sure!
-
It wasn't terrible, I think I was bored? even if the abbreviated title spells tits! I kept thinking about how mail-order spouse is like the juiciest idea. Alas, it wasn't as exciting as it had the potential to be. YMMV, though!
Annnnd a white man at one point lived with and "looks like" and sometimes "acts like" an Indigenous person and then he reintegrates into "civilized" society.
I'll always love the stunning cover, though. So that's something. -
Surprisingly fun! FRTC
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DNF
Really weird POV switching. Life is too short to make sense of this.
Edit: flipped to the last page. What was that ending? 😂 In the fanfic world, this is what is known as a crack fic. -
Tema pertukaran identitas antar saudara biasanya kocak dan akan mengundang tawa. Entah salah dimana, saya gak bisa tertawa dgn novel ini.
Karena kasihan pada adiknya yg tergila-gila pada tunangannya, Sharisse mengambil tindakan drastis dgn menggantikan adiknya, kabur ke Newcomb, Arizona utk bertemu Lucas Holt yg sedang mencari istri. Setibanya disana, Sharisse terus menerus dilanda kebingungan dan harus banyak belajar mengurus rumah tangga. Ya tidak salah lagi, Lucas bukan mencari istri tapi seorang pembantu.
Di sisi lain Lucas juga sedang merancang urusan balas dendam yg belum tertuntaskan pd Sam Nowland. Kehadiran Sharisse malah menambah rumit kehidupannya, tetapi Lucas jg enggan memulangkan Sharisse ke New York. Dan ketika masing-masing tidak bisa menahan emosinya, mereka pun akhirnya berpisah dan melanjutkan kehidupan masing-masing.
Kita digiring mengikuti serentetan permasalahan Sharisse di kota barunya dgn calon suami setengah tidak sopan yg hobi memerintah. Belum lagi tiba-tiba muncul Slade, kembaran Lucas yg jauh lebih kurang ajar lagi dan terang-terangan mengusik ketenangan Sharisse. Sayangnya, bukan hanya Sharisse yg jadi bingung, sbg pembaca saya jadi kurang menikmati perpindahan kehadiran antara Lucas dan Slade yg sering bergantian muncul. Belum lagi perpisahan yg tidak tuntas, dan di akhir cerita lagi-lagi saya dikejutkan oleh "sesuatu" yg tidak disebut-sebut sebelumnya dan tidak jelas juga keberadaannya.
Jelas ini bukan novel terbaik author. Saya berharap sesuatu yg lebih menarik, ketimbang cuma cerita hero yg hobi memancing kemarahan sang heroine.
