Jill Barnett - Suzanne Barrett - Nancy Bartholomew
Barnett, Jill - IMAGINE (Pocket - 1995) (4+)
This is a romantic fantasy, where the reader needs to suspend credibility and just let the imagination go free. I loved Hank the convict, the goat who hated him, the kids, and the genie (who made a cameo appearance in CARRIED AWAY). I thought the book was nearly perfect, innovative, and easy to read. IMAGINE is like taking a magic carpet ride. ~Gail (bookbabe@javanet.com)
Barnett, Jill - WILD (Pocket - 1998) (4+)
I loved this one. Although not based on a fairy tale, WILD has a beautiful, very romantic, fairy-tale feel to it. The heroine, shunned by the town because they fear she's a witch, lives in a tiny isolated shack and spends her time caring for wounded beasts. When she stumbles across an injured man (who turns out to be a knight), she can't help but drag him back to her home to heal him. Her honesty, gentle ways and lifestyle change him forever and make him look at life differently. This story has some very funny moments as these two very different people get to know each other, but it's also one of the most tender and loving romances I've read in a while and I thought it was extremely sensual. Their love is apparent in every word, touch, look and action they share and there are lots of moments to "sigh" over. An all-around fantastic romance. ~Laurie S. (shallah@empire.net)
Barnett, Jill - WONDERFUL (Pocket - 1997) (5)
Elliott, Elizabeth - WARLORD, THE (Bantam - 1995) (4)
By a fluke, I read two Medievals back-to-back, and I would recommend both! Each has strong and very likable heroines and heroes you grow to love. Barnett's book is quite humorous, and Elliott's, while having a somewhat dark beginning, keeps you reading into the wee hours. ~Margie B. (dreams@ns.net)
Barrett, Suzanne - TAMING ROWAN (Zebra Bouquet - 8/99) (4)
Rowan Marsden is a rude, arrogant but sexy engineer with a major case of distrust for the female species. Working at a remote site outside of Manchester, England, Rowan runs into a series
of structural problems that has him requesting an engineer to construct an antenna support platform. Everyone in the industry is aware of his dislike of women engineers, so he feels reasonably assured that the home office will send a man for the job. Enter Karen Williams, a twenty-six year old Chief Structural Engineer, proud of her accomplishments and raring to take on a new project...even if it means working with Rowan.
Once they arrive at the work site, the tension between Karen and Rowan mounts rapidly. In physical appearance Karen reminds Rowan of his party-loving, cheating ex-wife, and Rowan reminds Karen of the classic male chauvinist—clearly a match made in heaven. Sharing living quarters and working side by side, each fights the growing attraction between them, but the pull of desire is much too strong. With the image of an unfaithful ex and a marriage gone sour running through his head, Rowan fights an internal battle that hinders him from finding true happiness. It takes a serious accident to bring to the surface a love that both cannot deny.
TAMING ROWAN is category romance at its finest, with a hero this reader was eager to see whipped into shape by the heroine. Suzanne Barrett's writing style generates enough heat and sexual tension to set the pages on fire. Add a gorgeous cat named Marmalade that brings out the hero's sensitive side, and TAMING ROWAN becomes an excellent book for the keeper shelf. ~Olivia Holton for Bookbug on the Web
Bartholomew, Nancy - MIRACLE STRIP, THE (St. Martin's - 10/99) (4+)
Sierra Lavotini, a six-foot (in stiletto heels) "exotic dancer" at a club in Panama City, Florida is in big trouble. The pooch of her bartender friend, Denise, has been dognapped for a very high ransom, and a dead man is found lying on the floor of Denise's hotel room. Homicide detective John Nailor is assigned to the case, but the cops suspect Sierra and her friend of foul play and now they are being tailed. A few days later, someone takes several shots at the two women—then Denise disappears. After a mysterious person assaults Sierra and another man is discovered dead, it's obvious that if she wants the mystery solved before she becomes a corpse as well, she'll have to solve it herself!
Fans of Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich's sleuth, will love Nancy Bartholomew's THE MIRACLE STRIP. Fast-paced and hilarious, this whodunit will keep you guessing until the end. Sierra Lavotini is an original, sassy and fun; a stripper with a no-holds-barred outlook on life, who lives in a trailer park with her friends. She is definitely a colorful character, but all the characters in this book command your interest. THE MIRACLE STRIP doesn't contain any love scenes, but there's sexual tension aplenty between Sierra and the serious-minded detective. I can't wait to find out what happens in the sequel, DRAGSTRIP. Don't miss THE MIRACLE STRIP—it's a winner! ~Pat Cavender for Bookbug on the Web
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