Shelly Thacker - Maynard F. Thomson - Elizabeth Thornton
Thacker, Shelly - HIS FORBIDDEN TOUCH (Avon - 1997) (4)
After seven years of war, Princess Ciara is to wed her country's conqueror in order to assure the peace. Her intended bridegroom is a ruthless, dangerous man. To help deliver her safely to her bridegroom, her father, the King, sends for the exiled Royce Saint-Michael. There are rebels trying to stop this marriage and her life is in danger. Royce had been exiled by the King because of his loss of control during peace talks years ago. He lost everything and now is told that he can have it all back if he safely escorts her. It is a matter of honor, though, more than anything else. So the very sheltered princess starts her secretive journey over the rugged mountains with Royce.
This was a near perfect story—I loved it. I worried and fretted over what would happen page after page, wanting the book to end so I would know how it winds up, and yet not wanting it to end. As I said, I loved it! ~Review provided by Romance Reviews
Thacker, Shelly - INTO THE SUNSET (Dell - 1999) (4+)
Setting: 1878 Colorado
Antoinette "Annie" Sutton is a wanted woman. There's a large bounty on her head, and a U.S. Marshal on her trail—who happens to be the brother of the man she's accused of murdering.
Annie fled Missouri following a fateful and tragic confrontation with her lover and protector, the influential and married businessman, James McKenna. She ended up in the dying town of Eminence, Colorado, where she found acceptance and hope that she could forget the past, as well as the first friends she'd ever had.
Then famed U.S. Marshal Lucas McKenna arrives in Eminence. Annie escapes after he attempts to arrest her and she is seriously injured. The lawman wants revenge, but he is willing to let her heal before hauling her back to Missouri. Since there's no town jail, he constructs his own in an abandoned hotel, where he'll have Annie under his watchful eye at all times. Winter comes early to Eminence, and Lucas and Annie are stranded in the town until spring. He gets to know his prisoner and slowly begins to have doubts about her guilt, and about what really happened between her and his beloved older brother.
Shelly Thacker has written a gem of a romance about hope, forgiveness, acceptance, and the power of love. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine is strong, and it's a joy to watch these two fall in love and overcome the pain in their lives. INTO THE SUNSET is also a page-turner, as the reader will be eager to know Annie's fate and how justice will be served. You'll be reading this entertaining western romance long into the sunset, unable to put it down! ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Thomson, Maynard F. - DREAMS OF GOLD (Warner - 1/00) (3+)
Welcome to the world of competitive figure skating and what it
takes to win the gold at any cost. Maggie "Megumi" and her
figure skating partner, Clay Bartlett, are America's team. They
make magic on the ice, and Maggie has always dreamed of going
to the Olympics. But when a so-called accident injures Clay and
he is no longer able to skate, she must either choose another partner or skate solo as she did before she met Clay. A vicious betrayal prompts her decision to skate singles against her archrival.
Maggie is a citizen of both Japan and America. Even though she has never felt a part of either culture, she decides to return to Japan and the hard world she tried to escape many years before. Her reason for returning is to be coached by the legendary sensei, Madam Goto—the teacher who will show Maggie the gateway to her soul and the true beauty of ice skating.
Maggie has been practicing daily, but can't seem to totally put her heart into skating until a man from her past shows up and sparks the fire. Hiro Araki is a handsome devil and he has always loved Maggie, but he leads a dark life in the Japanese underworld. Hiro would do anything to see that Maggie succeeds in Japan, even if it means bringing harm upon himself.
Maynard F. Thomson examines the traditions and politics of Japan as he goes behind the scenes to explore the world of figure skating. DREAMS OF GOLD is a well-researched contemporary novel with many twists and turns to keep readers interested. My only qualm is that it took so long for Maggie to realize her true love. The beauty of her skating will remain with me, however; and I will always remember her quest for the gold. ~Paula Palmer for Bookbug on the Web
Thornton, Elizabeth - WHISPER HIS NAME (Bantam - 1999) (3)
A readable Regency-era romance with cloak-and-dagger plot complications featuring the usual Napoleonic spies, more complex and well developed than is typical, and all fairly plausible until the very end. The characters aren't as well developed as the plot, though they are reasonably appealing. Much of the tension between the hero and heroine stems from the heroine's failure to share the truth with the hero, but the cause of this big misunderstanding is understandable in itself, given her brother's peril. The ending, however, is pretty idiotic. ~Elena P.
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