Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey

You know why I love June? Johanna Lindsey’s annual new book! You all know how much I love Johanna Lindsey, but in case you are new JL was the first romance writer I ever read. As a 13 year old she introduced love and passion in a sweeping story that carried me away. 14 years later and I am still hooked.

Last year, JL released her 50^th book – One Heart to Win. I had been worried because her work had definitely entered into a downward slope. One Heart to Win gave me hope that the old JL was on her way back.

If you have never read a JL book, she has a mega saga based on the Malory-Anderson family. These characters are near and dear to my heart. Her newest book, Stormy Persuasion is the 11^th installment in this series, but what made it so important was that the lead character of Judith is the daughter of the legendary Anthony and Roslynn from Tender Rebel. I worried how JL would handle this story, because Judy has been featured in many Maloy novels (along with her cousin Jacqueline aka Jack – daughter of James and Georgina). If you are a fan of JL and of the Malory-Anderson series, then you become attached to these characters.

I couldn’t wait for my library to process our copy of Stormy Persuasion so BF and I took a field trip to the bookstore. I will say that as I started reading, my hopes began to dwindle. The character of Judith did not stand out, the dialogue did not flow well, and the storyline wasn’t clear. Even though Stormy Persuasion had a rocky start, the chemistry between Judy and Nathan was there. As the story progressed this became clear and the characters became more of the main focus. JL put in a lot of backstory so a new reader could be caught up. There was also a lot of Jack, Judy’s sister like cousin. If you are a fan of Jack, JL sets up her story for the next installment.

Now back to Nathan and Judith. The dialogue was full of sweetness, humor, and plenty of steam. The novel takes a turn for the better about halfway through. It seemed like I was reading an old JL novel. One of my complaints about One Heart to Win was that JL completely skipped the sex scene. I’m glad to report that she fixes that issue in Stormy Persuasion.

Though it starts out a little rocky, Stormy Persuasion is another wonderful edition to Johanna Lindsey’s writing repertoire. If you are a fan of the Malory-Anderson series then you will enjoy seeing all the old characters up to their antics.  If you are new to JL, then I would suggest either Tender Rebel (#2) or A Gentle Rogue (#3). 

Cover Reveal: Johanna Lindsey's Stormy Persuasion

On June 10, 2014, Johanna Lindsey will release her 51st book, Stormy Persuasion, which is the 11th in the Malory-Anderson Family series.  Here is a quick overview:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Johanna Lindsey returns to the dazzlingly passionate world of the Malorys, an aristocratic family of rakehell adventurers and spirited ladies, in a thrilling new tale of unbridled desires.

James Malory sets sail for America to honor a promise he made to his in-laws: His and Georgina’s daughter, Jacqueline, will have her come-out in America. Judith and Jacqueline Malory are not simply cousins; they are inseparable best friends. Refusing to miss Jacqueline’s come-out in Connecticut, Judith convinces her parents to let her delay her London debut by a few weeks so she can accompany her cousin. Neither girl intends to fall in love during her first Season. But Judith’s plans are overturned when aboard ship she comes face-to-face with the ghost who has been haunting her dreams.

Unknown to the Malorys, deckhand Nathan Tremayne is a smuggler with a noose around his neck. Determined to carry out a covert mission in America that could gain him a pardon, Nathan senses that beautiful Judith Malory is trouble. Somehow the minx knows his secret—and now she’s blackmailing him into doing her bidding. While passions can soar on the high seas, Nathan knows this aristocratic beauty is merely amusing herself with a scoundrel like him.

When the unthinkable happens in Connecticut and the elder Malorys’ hands are tied, Nathan takes command of a dire situation. Captaining his own ship, he turns the tables on Judith, as he steers them into some intense Caribbean heat where he will fight with all his mettle to win the right to her heart.

Reasons Why I Am Beyond Excited About Stormy Persuasion:
1. I'm a big fan of the Malory Series. My all time favorite book is Gentle Rogue, which stars James and Georgina. Lindsey has written a great deal of the Malory family, and while some are forgettable, I think Stormy Persuasion will be a throwback to the original Malory clan that made Lindsey so famous. Since Judith is Tony and Roslynn's (Tender Rebel, #2) daughter, I feel that Lindsey will take great care crafting this story.
2. Lindsey's 50th novel showed me that the old Johanna Lindsey was still there. While she might have written some mediocre novels as of late, One Heart to Win gave me hope that the author I fell in love with as a preteen could still sweep me up into a fantastic story. 
3. The heroine has my name! Seriously, no one ever has my name! 
4. Look at the cover? Yum. Definitely a whole Chris Hemsworth thing going on and I'm totally ok with that. 

I'm thinking I need to pre-order this book. Mark your calendars! 

3 down, 89 to go

Read All The Books - Week 2

I made some progress...unintentionally.  I was going through the TBR shelf and was excited to find that I could remove 3 of the books from the shelf. 

In the last post, I had to add ten books to the total because I bought a bunch of old Johanna Lindsey books. Well it turns out that I already had a copy of Defy Not the Heart on the shelf. So yay for that! I haven't read it yet, but it counts for something right?

The 2nd book, Before Sunrise by Diana Palmer, I had actually read this week as an ebook. Diana Palmer has soooo many books and they all pretty much have the same plot (older man, younger woman who is usually his ward) so it is impossible for me to tell them apart. So I was quite surprised to see it on the shelf and very happy to be able to make a teeny tiny dent in the collection.

The 3rd book is a Harlequin Presents by Jennie Lucas, A Night of Living Dangerously. HP are brain candy for me and I can devour through one in a short time. 

I think I need a better way of organizing my personal collection. Can anyone recommend a library app that helps you keep track of what books you own? 

Read All The Books: Week One

Project "Read All The Books" isn't going so well. On Day One someone donated 39 Johanna Lindsey books. Now, if you have read this blog in the past, you might know that I am obsessed with Johanna Lindsey. Didn't know that? Check out my post, "My Love Affair With Johanna Lindsey"

Johanna Lindsey is the author that got my hooked on romance novels. She just published her 50th book and I have read them all. I have even owned most of them (I did decided to trade the ones that I didn't love a few years back). I read most of her work when I was 13 or 14 years old. In those 12 years, I have reread and reread my favorites (Gentle Rogue), but have forgotten about some of the lesser novels. My coworkers know how much I love her so they immediately buzzed me to let me know about the donation. I bought 10. This did not help me succeed in my goal of reading all the books I own. 

Here is the updated challenge. Books Read: 0, Books Bought: 10, Total Books: 92

My Love Affair with Johanna Lindsey

         

      We all have our guilty pleasure authors. Authors, no matter how terrible their material may have gotten over the years, we are still loyal to. I have always loved reading but my love of romance novels can be pretty much summed up with one author: Johanna Lindsey. The first book I ever read by Lindsey was Gentle Rogue (Malory Family #3). I picked this up at the grocery store when I was in junior high. I had just started reading romance novels, but nothing prepared me for Johanna Lindsey. Gentle Rogue hooked me in forever. Georgina’s and James adventures, family,  and love story captured my inner romantic. I became addicted to her novels. This was right when the Internet was really taking off for the masses so I began scouring whatever I could find on her works. Since I was in middle school when all this started, I was too embarrassed to check out her novels at my local library (this was waaaay before the days of the privacy of self-check out). I had to get my mom to get them at the grocery store or dig through boxes at my local used bookstore. When I discovered Ebay, I was in Johanna Lindsey heaven! 

           So what makes Johanna Lindsey’s writing so wonderful in my opinion? Her characters. All are filled with their own unique characteristics and the way she compliments each couple with pinches of humor, steaminess, and chemistry is utterly awesome. 

       Over the years, I have eagerly awaited every new novel. I always manage to be the first on the hold list at my library or will abuse my librarian power to have cataloging give me the book before anyone else.

       About a year ago, my book club read One Summer by David Baldacci. This was my first Baldacci book so I was very intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. I read it and  I loathed this book. By page 10 I wanted to gouge my eyes out at the predicable and terrible storyline. I ended up discussing my disgust with the person who recommended this book to the club. He said that everyone has that one author who they will read everything they put out because you remember that feeling of how amazing their work can be. This really struck a cord with me because I had been pretty disappointed in the last 3 Johanna Lindsey novels: Let Love Find You (Reid Family #4)  (2012), When Passion Rules  (2011), and That Perfect Someone (2010). All earned 3 stars according to my Goodreads. Each deserved a 2 but my love and dedication to Ms. Lindsey’s previous work guilted my conscience into giving each that last additional star.

     So when I read that her 50^th novel would be coming out this year (6/11/13), I was excited. I prayed that she stepped it up and would return with a comeback novel that would make me fall in love with her writing all over again.

      Once I discovered One Heart To Win on the processing cart yesterday in the cataloger’s office I begged for her to immediately process it. I went straight home and dived right in. To my joy, I discovered that the Johanna Lindsey I remember was coming back! Though it wasn’t up to par with my favorites, One Heart To Win did a great job of stomping over Ms. Lindsey’s recently novels. The characters had chemistry, humor, and a wonderful sparkling repartee.

     Though it was a well improved step above her recent works, Ms. Lindsey did forget one teeny tiny part in One Heart To Win: the sex.  No I’m not saying that Ms. Lindsey went all conservative on me and left out the sex. The characters do have sex…well I’m pretty sure they did…it was super short (about one paragraph) and so vague I had to reread that one scene a few times to make sure I comprehended what was going on. I’m not saying that Lindsey’s work is up there with the descriptiveness of some of today’s erotica, but it definitely wasn’t flatlining either. I was quite surprised that Lindsey just copped out on this. I felt that by skipping a love scene(s) Lindsey was shortchanging her fans. Don’t get me wrong, I still stand by my statement that this novel is a definite improvement over her recent ones. Cake is still good without the icing, but icing always makes it so much better.

      Every summer, I completely forget everything on my to-be read list and indulge in nothing but smutty romances. My summer, I do what I want! That being said, I have included a list of my favorite Johanna Lindsey novels. If you never have read anything by Ms. Lindsey I encourage you to dive on in. Though she has had her ups and downs, most of her novels are truly wonderful and I cannot recommend them enough.

  

     Enjoy!

Top Favorite Johanna Lindsey Novels

1. Gentle Rogue(Malory #3) – Though this is the 3^rd in the series, you can easily figure out the family structure without reading in order.
2. Once  A Princess (Cardinia’s Royal Family #1)
3. Man of My Dreams
4. Paradise Wild
5. Tender Rebel(Malory #2)
6. Secret Fire
7. Fires of Winter
8. You Belong To Me(Cardinia’s Royal Family #2)
9. Angel (Wyoming #3)
10. Prisoner of My Desire
11. A Gentle Feuding
12. Glorious Angel(Southern #1)
13. Captive Bride